Miami’s 2025 season did more than put the Hurricanes back in the conversation. It dragged the program all the way back onto the national stage.
For the first time in more than two decades, the “U” looked like the “U” again. Miami set a program record with 13 wins, picked up its first bowl victory since 2016 and made its first College Football Playoff appearance before falling 27-21 to Indiana in the final game of a run that ended just short of a sixth national championship.
The path there said plenty about where this team has gone under Mario Cristobal. Miami opened its playoff push by walking into Kyle Field and beating Texas A&M 10-3, then kept the momentum rolling with dramatic wins over Ohio State and Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. Even with the loss to Indiana, the Hurricanes had reestablished themselves after more than 20 years out of the national spotlight.
Now comes the harder part: proving that wasn’t a one-year burst.
Miami enters 2026 with real expectations, and the roster has the kind of star power that makes those expectations feel justified. The biggest change is under center, where Darian Mensah steps in after a huge season at Duke. He threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns, both second-best in the nation, and helped the Blue Devils win an ACC Championship - something Miami has not done in its 22 years in the conference.
The Hurricanes are betting big on him. On3 values Mensah’s NIL compensation at $6.5 million, the highest valuation among college athletes heading into the 2026 season. Cristobal had plenty of praise for his new quarterback, calling Mensah “a complete professional,” and adding that he has “great command” of the offense, “arm talent,” “pocket presence” and “great energy.”
If Mensah gives Miami the steadying presence it needs, Malachi Toney gives the offense its explosive edge. The 18-year-old freshman became the Canes’ most dangerous weapon last season, catching 109 passes for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns while also handling snaps at running back and quarterback in Miami’s “Malicat” package. He led the nation in receptions and topped all freshmen in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Toney sounds ready for a bigger stage. “This year I feel more prepared because I know what I’m going into,” he said. “Last year, I was a freshman … I didn’t know what I was getting myself into going into the season, but now I know because I have experience from the past season.”
His sophomore year could put him right in the middle of the Heisman conversation.
Miami’s backfield still has a tone-setter in Mark Fletcher, and his return matters. The bruising runner was central to the playoff push, starting with 172 yards against Texas A&M in the opening round.
He kept delivering after that, going for 90, 133 and 112 yards over the next three games and repeatedly providing the kind of downhill runs that changed games. Fletcher was widely expected to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, but he chose to come back for his senior season, another sign of the culture Cristobal has built around winning now.
Defensively, Bryce Fitzgerald is one of the names to know after a breakout true freshman season. He intercepted six passes, tied for second-most in FBS, and even delivered the game-winner against Texas A&M in the first round of the playoff. Fitzgerald only started four games, but he still became one of Miami’s most valuable defensive backs because of his instincts and knack for takeaways.
He knows the next step is about more than making plays. “Really just got to stop being a kid.
[You’ve] got to change your mindset,” he said. “You’re a grown man now, so really just got to do grown-man things on and off the field.”
On the defensive front, Ahmad Moten Sr. is set to carry more of the load after the departures of Ruben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, who combined for 22 sacks last season. Moten posted 4.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and 20 quarterback pressures in 2025, good enough for second-team All-ACC honors. With Miami still loaded with edge talent, the interior of the line could be where this defense makes its biggest impact.
The schedule gives Miami several chances to prove the run was no fluke. The first major test comes at Clemson on Oct. 3, a game already being projected as a possible College GameDay spot in Week 5. The Tigers will have the home crowd behind them, but Miami’s defense is expected to match up well against a Clemson offense that struggled in big games last season.
Two weeks later, the Hurricanes host Florida State on Oct. 17 in the annual rivalry meeting. Miami is favored there and should have enough at home to handle another difficult assignment.
Then comes the one that could define the middle of the season: a trip to Notre Dame on Nov. 7.
Miami opened last year with one of the most important games of the season, and this one carries similar weight in a different spot on the calendar. Facing a top-5 Fighting Irish team on the road is no easy task, but it has the feel of a game that could tell a lot about how far this team has come.
It all starts on Sept. 4 at Stanford, the first chance to see whether Miami can carry last season’s momentum into another serious title chase. The Hurricanes have the quarterback, the coach and the talent. Now they have to turn that into another run.
In Other News...
Miami Faces Another Messy WR Dispute As Former Cane Fights Back
Cam Vaughns departure from Miami has turned into something far bigger than a roster move. The former Hurricanes wide receiver has filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade County against the University of Miami and the NCAA, arguing that after he was dismissed from the team and had his scholarship canceled, he was left without a clear path to move on. The filing says the school never provided a written explanation, never identified a rule violation and never offered him a hearing before cutting ties.
The suit also says Miami declined to submit the waiver request Vaughn needs in order to enter the transfer portal, leaving his college future in limbo. Vaughn is asking the court to hold both the university and the NCAA responsible and to give him the chance to continue his education and football career somewhere else, a dispute that adds another uneasy wrinkle to a program that has already dealt with more than its share of receiver drama. [Read more 🡒]
Former Miami Receiver Gets One More Shot To Reignite NFL Dream
Tony Johnson is getting back in the door of professional football with a familiar motivation. The former Miami wide receiver will take part in the United Football League Showcase in Orlando on Nov. 8, a chance to perform in front of scouts and teams as he keeps working toward the NFL. Johnson had stepped away from football for personal reasons after Miamis Pro Day, but he has been training again and has made it clear that the next step is still to get another shot at the league.
For a player trying to restart a career, a showcase can matter as much for timing as talent. Johnsons path has already included a pause away from the game, and now he is using this event to put himself back in a professional setting and prove he belongs on a bigger stage. The opportunity does not guarantee anything, but it does give him a fresh platform to remind teams what he can do and keep his NFL dream alive. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Offensive Line Has One Big Question After Camp
After camp, Miamis offensive line looks more settled than it did a few weeks ago, with Samson Okunlola, Ryan Rodriguez and Matthew McCoy among the players who appear to have carved out secure roles. The group is still being sorted in spots, but the bigger picture is clearer now: there is a core in place, and the Hurricanes can at least map out how the front is supposed to function when the season opens.
The larger question is how much more the unit can grow once games start to count. This line is not quite at the level of last years group, but it does have the ingredients to become playoff caliber if the development trend continues and the competition for playing time sharpens the depth behind the starters. For Miami, that makes the next stretch of the season about more than just protection and run blocking. It is also about whether the line can turn a promising camp into something sturdier by the time the schedule gets demanding. [Read more 🡒]